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Flagship Wars: HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7

If you are interested in high-end smartphones, you already know that Korean electronics giant Samsung has already released its Galaxy S7 flagship. Its newest flagship smartphone has already brought much success to the company, but another flagship device looms in the horizon and is about to challenge the superiority of the Galaxy S7.

HTC is back in the game and this time, a serious fight for superiority of the high-end market is epected to ensue. The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer is looking to take the world by storm by righting the wrongs of its previous flagship, the One M9, and hopes to remove Samsung and its Galaxy S7 from the top spot with its new flagship, the HTC 10.

Today, we compare the flagship devices of Samsung and HTC to ascertain which gains the upperhand. We put them side by side and pitched them head to head to show what the differences are. At the end of the day, one device will come out on top. Which one will it be?

Design

Featuring an all-metal design, the HTC 10 measures 145.9 x 71.9 x 9.0 mm and tips the scales at 161 grams. It also boasts of chamfered edges out front and on its rear panel. Though it isn’t the lightest or the smallest flagship device at the moment, the HTC 10 more than makes up for this by being a beautiful, solid and well-built handset.

The Galaxy S7 also comes with a metal body but as a glass rear panel that makes it more prone to fingerprints. The handset measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 739 mm and weighs 152 grams, making it slightly smaller and lighter than the HTC flagship. Design-wise, the Galaxy S7 did not deviate much its predecessor but with its refinements, it has turned out as a device with lovely aesthetics and solid build quality.

Display

In terms of its display, the HTC 10 boasts of a 5.2-inch Super LCD 5 display with Quad HD resolution. This translates to a pixel density of 565ppi making it a sharp and detailed display. Viewing angles on the display of HTC 10 aren’t too impressive and its auto-brightness is a bit slow in responding. In short, though the HTC 10 may have a great display, it surely isn’t the greatest in the market today.

As for the Galaxy S7, the handset comes with a slightly smaller 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution and a 557ppi pixel density. The display of the handset offers brighter and more vibrant colours and at the same time delivers plenty of brightness and more impressive viewing angles. Though both displays are very sharp, it is pretty obvious that the Galaxy S7 is the clear winner here.

Camera

The HTC 10 arrives with a 12-megapixel UltraPixel rear camera featuring 1.55µm pixels. It offers an aperture of f/1.8 and features including laser autofocus, optical image stabilisation and a dual tone LED flash.

For its main camera, the HTC 10 boasts of a 12MP UltraPixel rear shooter with 1.55µm pixels. Aside from its f/1.8 aperture, this camera also comes with OIS, laser auto focus and a dual tone LED flash. Out front, the HTC 10 comes with a 5MP front snapper that has the same f/1.8. aperture and OIS as the rear shooter. It features 1.34µm pixels and also has autofocus. Under good lighting conditions, the HTC 10 is capable of delivering consistently good pictures. A loss of detail is seen when taking pictures in low-light conditions but the shooter of the HTC 10 is still a good camera.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S7 comes with a 12MP rear shooter with an aperture of f/1.7 and 1.4µm pixels. Aside from OIS, the handset also boasts of phase detection AF and an LED flash. Similar to the HTC 10, the Samsung flagship comes with a 5MP front snapper with an f/1.7 aperture but does not come with OIS on board. With the Galaxy S7, you point, you shoot, and you can expect good results on a regular basis.

If camera is a deciding factor for you, the Galaxy S7 is your best bet. This is not to say that the HTC is no good in terms of its camera department. The HTC 10 is capable of delivering good results but not as good as the Galaxy S7’s.

Hardware

Under the HTC 10’s hood, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM powers its operation. In terms of storage, you have the option of choosing between 32GB or 64GB with the option of expanding the handsets internal storage via a microSD slot. The HTC 10 also packs support for adoptable storage which lets you combine the SD card storage with the handset’s internal memory.

As for battery capacity, the HTC 10 comes with a 3000mAh power pack charged via USB Type-C and packs support for Quick Charge 3.0. On paper, the HTC 10 is said to last for two days on a single charge but as expected, your mileage may vary depending on your usage patterns.

The Galaxy S7 on the other hand is available in two variants: one powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and the other powered by an Exynos Octa 8 chip. Both versions of the handset come with 4GB of RAM and are available in either 32GB or 64GB storage option. Similar to the HTC 10, the Samsung flagship also comes with a microSD card slot for memory expansion purposes.

The Galaxy S7 also comes with a 3000mAh battery but is charged via microUSB. Given the amount of firepower under both handset’s respective hoods, the HTC 10 and the Galaxy S7 both deliver an incredibly powerful and smooth operation. Battery life is a different story though as both devices seem to be lacking in the battery department. In short, there will always be a chance that you will be running for a wall socket at the end of the day to top up both handsets.

Conclusion

The HTC 10 comes with a great design ad excellent hardware that is on par with the Galaxy S7. It introduces USB Type-C and adds OIS to the front camera, but HTC doesn't quit match the camera capabilities of the S7 with its new flagship. HTC does push audio quality however so it is a better choice for those who want an excellent sound experience from their smartphone.

In terms of design aesthetics and hardware, both the HTC 10 and the Galaxy S7 are on a level playing field. Though it boasts of USB Type-C and OIS-packing front camera, the HTC 10 is unable to match the Galaxy S7’s camera capabilities. Audio quality, however, is the bailiwick of the HTC 10, making it a better choice for those who are after excellent sound from their handset.

At the end of the day, there is not much difference between the two devices in terms of their specs sheet and the decision will ultimately boil down to what you really like in a smartphone.